I am not convinced that there are not crimes that deserve the death penalty.
I am far less convinced, though, that there has ever existed a judicial system capable of fairly and accurately and consistently applying that ultimate penalty — and I am damned sure that our own is not one of them, as demonstrated over, and over, and over.
Reshared post from +Les Jenkins
Kudos to Connecticut.
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Connecticut Ends Death Penalty
Governor Dannel Molloy issued this statement:
“This afternoon I signed legislation that will, effective today, replace the death penalty with life in prison without the possibility of release as the highest form of legal punishment in Connecticut. Although it is an historic moment – Connecticut joins 16 other states and the rest of the industrialized world by taking this action – it is a moment for sober reflection, not celebration.
“Many of us who have advocated for this position over the ye…
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Your explanation nails it. There are plenty of people who deserve to die, but no government qualified to determine who these people are.
Agreed. Committing to high-stakes and irreversible action in general is bad when you have no confidence in the people making those decisions.
I wouldn't say no confidence, +Gary Roth — but a highly provisional confidence. I have overall faith that our justice system is dependable more often than not. But, as you say, this is high stakes, the highest. And there have been too many cases of police and prosecutorial and judicial misconduct, often due to factors like race, or simple "We arrested this guy, so let's assume he's guilty no matter what other facts might come up" institutional coverups.
Which isn't to say that can't happen with non-capital offenses, but some correction of injustice can be done in such cases down the line, which isn't possible once someone's been killed.
Point taken. No confidence was a definite exaggeration.
I have long been pro death penalty. (I was chagrined to find this put me at odds with Captain Picard.) Over the last few years, my position has shifted. The death penalty has resulted in the loss of too many innocent lives for me too continue to support it.
Steven Sudit, above, succinctly explained my current belief.
@Avo – I was a long-time supporter, too. I still am, in theory. What changed was my realization that if I tack on the proviso that “… if we just do it right …” all the time, then I’m not actually justifying it, I’m demonstrating why we cannot be doing it.